To airball is human, but a last-second airball by Georgetown freshman Allen Iverson on Sunday magically saved the day for the Hoyas.
When teammate Don Reid grabbed the errant Iverson shot under the basket with less than 1 second left and put it home as the buzzer sounded, Georgetown had escaped with a 53-51 victory over a determined but undermanned Weber State team.
The victory put Georgetown (21-9) into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1989. The Hoyas will take on North Carolina Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., but for Georgetown coach John Thompson, this was one to savor.
“I’m at the point in my career where I want to enjoy the moment,” he said. “I was happy for myself, but I was extremely happy for them.
“We’re going to enjoy it. We’re going to sing and dance and act crazy. They deserve it. I’m not going to be militaristic. I’m going to let them run around and have a good time-at least for a half-hour.”
Weber State (21-9), the 14th seed, was on the verge of going ahead with the game tied at 51 and :07.4 left. Senior guard Ruben Nembhard stepped up to the free-throw line for a one-and-one, but his shot rimmed out. Reid cradled the rebound and fed Iverson, and the speedy guard raced down the left side for one last shot.
Iverson, who made just 6 of 21 shots, launched a three-pointer with :03 left that was well short. Reid swooped in from the opposite side and hit a twisting follow-up shot that broke thousands of hearts all over Utah.
Had Iverson’s shot hit the rim and bounced long, there wouldn’t have been time left for Reid’s heroics and overtime would have ensued.
“I said in the beginning that one of the ingredients that’s very necessary is to have luck on your side,” Thompson said. “This time we had luck and Don Reid.”
Reid’s shot was eerily reminiscent of the 1983 NCAA title game in which North Carolina State edged Houston 54-52 on a last-second shot by Lorenzo Charles, who put in an airball by Dereck Whittenburg with no time remaining.
Thompson was so ecstatic over Reid’s buzzer-beater that he even did a little dance routine himself in front of the Georgetown bench.
“My nieces and nephews call it the `Uncle John,”‘ Thompson said of his dance.
Weber State coach Ron Abegglen and his players took the loss hard, having come so close to pulling off another shocking upset after beating third-seeded Michigan State on Friday.
“I guess we weren’t supposed to win,” Abegglen said. “But I felt personally that we should have.”
Nembhard, who led the Wildcats with 19 points despite 6-of-18 shooting, went from potential hero to goat in a matter of seconds.
“Basically, I wasn’t feeling confident the whole night,” he said.
The teams were almost dead even. Weber State was 18 of 51 from the field with 33 rebounds, while Georgetown shot 19 for 50 with 35 boards. After 40 minutes of hard-nosed, defensive-minded basketball, Reid’s shot was all that separated the two teams.
“Last year against Arkansas, he got thrown out of the game for running on the floor,” Thompson said. “This time when he ran out on the floor, I was pretty happy about it”.
